Binge banks on its new Colin From Accounts replacement, as it unveils 2027 line-up

A wild black family comedy starring Miranda Otto leads Binge’s slate of new local originals, as the streamer seeks to find a replacement for their hit Colin From Accounts .

Created, written and starring Rick Donald, and directed by the team behind Colin From Accounts – Trent O’Donnell and Madeleine Dyer – Tough Love is about a hopeless 39-year-old who still lives at home with his mum, but whose life is upended when his mum is diagnosed with cancer. She, meanwhile, is stricken by the fact her three adult children are unprepared for life without her.

“It’s a tragic comedy about family and chaos and how that can be incredibly funny, but also incredibly sad,” said the bushy-bearded Donald, who is now filming Tough Love in the leafy Sydney suburb of Roseville Chase, largely while wearing footy shorts, a singlet and a dirty apron. “It [came from] knowing a lot of older kids that failed to leave the nest and how common that is. And that can be for many different reasons, in our case it’s because my role, Shane, he’s just a manchild that’s lazy and just stunted – intelligence-wise and emotionally.

“But for some people, they don’t leave because it’s so incredibly hard to buy, and they have to stay with their parents, so there are a lot of reasons why people are staying home, and they’re failing to leave.”

The comedy was unveiled by the streamer on Thursday morning at its upfronts event, which revealed a starry 2027 line-up that also includes the return of its hit reality franchise The Real Housewives of Melbourne , starring returning housewife Gina Liano, and the Wentworth spin-off series Wentworth: Halfway Home , featuring new cast member Rachel Griffiths, as well as fan favourites Katrina Milosevic, Nicole da Silva and Kate Box. Also launching is the adaptation of Kaliane Bradley’s bestselling sci-fi romance The Ministry of Time .

“What we strive for – and Colin [ From Accounts ] is the North Star of that – is authenticity to an Australian audience,” said Daniel Monaghan, Foxtel’s executive director, entertainment content. “A show that does not shy away from being Australian in the way it’s written, in the way it’s performed, in the language they use, all of it. So that’s why we’ve chased down Tough Love , to fit in that comedy space.”

The streamer also revealed a strong line-up of international titles, including Amy Poehler’s Greek archeological comedy Dig , as it continues to rebuild its library after it lost its drawcard HBO Max titles last year.

Other new international titles include the witchy thriller Yaga , starring Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams ; the Scottish crime thriller Meantime , starring James McAvoy; Daisy Haggard’s new thriller Maya , starring The Last of Us’s Bella Ramsey and a period drama about the Cadbury family.